The Eagle and The Dragon
by Arthur Hansen
Summary: Superman Unbound  RanmaLois&Clark 15 years after Jusenkyo, Ranma, Akane, Kasumi and the world teeter on the brink of Ultra War. Chapter 4 fixed now
1. Chapter 1

The Eagle and the Dragon - I

-

A fan fiction story revolving around the world of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures" and "Ranma 1/2." No infringement of ownership is meant. It is just for fun.

-

November 13th, 2017 in the evening: The private residence of the Emperor of Japan.

Emperor Akihito looked over at his wife in worry. "The Koreans, backed by China, are bound and determined to invade. They are just maneuvering until we are weaker." His hands that had had more strength in their youth clenched his family's katana. Age was creeping up on him. The politicians looked as if they would soon vacillate, turning his proud country into a subservient state that would have far less freedom and dignity than anything the Allies had visited on them after World War II. "There must be some way to save our country."

"Will not the United States stand at our side?" his son Naruhito asked. The crown prince looked worried. He appeared only barely younger than his father did these days. Age was creeping up on them.

"With public opinion as it is around the world, they will be hard pressed not to be seen as _Imperialists_ over this," Emperor Akihito explained.

"Even some of our own people think this. Like that reporter Uchio. He's been calling us the 51st state of America again."

"If only we were, there would be no doubt that we would be defended," the emperor said with a bitter-tinged voice. As sudden as if a switch was set, an idea bloomed in his mind. "Do you remember your cultural studies of the United States?"

"Not really. You are the one that has become American _mad_ so to speak." The prince smiled to remove the sting from the comment.

"You can just join the United States of America. Becoming another state. Or states." The gleam in the older man's eyes was suddenly bright and firm. Hope had blossomed.

"Father, that sounds like the raving of a madmen! The United States hasn't had a new state in almost a century! Not even their protectorates have managed to succeed at admittance!"

A paper screen door opened, to admit a young woman in an expensive business suit in to bow deeply, her head quite low. "You majesty, may my humble self enter your august presence?" she asked.

"Of course, Kasumi Tendo! You are a dear and loyal to our house. Is this another threat, you think?" he replied.

"I just wish to be close, so that I may be here to protect you. These are troubled times," she said with a rueful smile. "I also wished to inform you that preparations to leave Japan at a moments notice have been completed."

Akihito stood up to start pacing. "I will not leave this land like, no matter what the Prime Minister wants. To do so admits defeat, something we must strive against with all of our heart." He gave the very young seeming woman a deep look. "You are close to the American President Lee?"

"Professionally. I would never have thought him to go into politics, but like Senator Arnold Schwarzenegger, he has a great aptitude for it." The woman who was also the super-heroine Rising Sun just shrugged. "Matters of this nature are always on his mind. He fears that soon he will have to fight the new Asian Alliance, something he is loath to do."

Akihito looked at his bodyguard for several seconds before replying, "It will be truly ironic if America's first Asian president must declare war on a greater part of Asia. Does he play poker? I hear all American's play poker," he said suddenly, changing his thought-tangent.

"Not that I'm aware of. Do you wish me to ask him?" Kasumi asked.

"No. I think it is time that I have to make a formal trip to meet our allies in their home. Is there some American holiday that we can go to? Something seemingly frivolous."

"America has that Thanksgiving holiday. The one with the turkey," she answered in explanation.

"That will work. We will set it as quickly as we can without it seeming to be too urgent."

-------

The gang of toughs sat around in an abandoned warehouse. "We are agreed? With our strength, we will be able to overwhelm the guards. With that, all that money is ours!" All of the men looked quite young, but the seemingly eclectic group all did not quite fit the appearance of youth with their mannerisms.

"Gee, you think that this recording will be enough to convict them, Red Hawk?" a voice from up in the rafters asked.

A young woman, in the prime of her life, dropped from the rafters landing only ten feet from the gang with a soft thump. Her red ponytail stuck out from under her full mask's back. "Probably." She cricked her fists. "How about you make it easy on yourself and just surrender?"

"If you know who we are, you know that we all have-" the leader of the Dead Heads started to speak.

"-been enhanced with the power of supermen. Um, clue-truck time. You got a lousy civilian enhancement, you ain't a match for Red Hawk." She pointed at herself with her thumb in an exaggerated pose of confidence. Her tight clothes fit the trim and muscular body like a second glove. Not a bit of her skin was showing under the bonded-lycra in red and black colors.

"We have numbers on our side, bitch!" the leader yelled, even as he snapped out a whip made of chains with razor edges.

With a blur of motion, the chain was grabbed by Red Hawk and snapped to bring the owner to her. With a single mighty down-punch, she embedded him into the concrete at her feet. She cricked her knuckles again. "Next?"

With a roar, they all charged. Three of the thugs were just about squashed when another girl in a tight outfit landed on them. "Hey! Leave some for Retribution!" Her outfit actually showed portions of her skin. The tight tank-top and gloves gave her a more 'bad-girl' appearance. Her features were hidden by a simple mask tied around her head, but her short hair was free and wild.

"Don't you have something more important to do?" yelled a thug.

Red Hawk thought for a second, finger touching her mask-covered lips. "Nope."

And with that, Red Hawk and Retribution dove in to beat the enhanced thugs down in the minimum of time. In just a few short super-speed moments, the fight was over.

"Guess it's time to call the Enhanced Police," Retribution remarked in irritation as she patted her hands together. "And it looks like another dead end on finding that group of terrorists that tried bombing the Tokyo Enhancement Center.'

"Yeah, looks like it. Rising Sun's going to be a bit peeved." Red Hawk touched the wrist of her outfit, showing a time display in the cloth. "And we have to hurry if we are going to be in time for supper." She dropped a small GPS bug-mitter, so that the Enhanced Police could home in on the are shortly.

"Sheesh. It's not like we are both in school anymore," the other girl groused. With a sigh, she held out her arms slightly so the smaller woman could pick her up. In moments they were winging through the air. "When am I going to be able to start flying?"

"Dr. Newtrich thinks in another couple of years, you might be able to fly at the minimum speeds," Red Hawk explained as if it were something they had gone over many times.

"Lucy still doesn't understand how you _can_ improve it. I think she's trying to make a machine that does what you do naturally."

"Ha! Good luck at that! Of course, I am the best!" Red Hawk said with a grin you could even see through her mask. "Here we are!" They landed behind the dojo in a blur.

In moments, they had switched into much more normal clothing. Ranma stretched her back with a pop. "It's nice to be home!"

Akane rolled her eyes. "Dummy! We come home every night!" she called out loudly.

Ranma stuck her tongue out, even as she skipped backwards into the house. "Stupid tomboy!"

"Oh, Genma! They're still fighting! The houses will never be joined!" Soun Tendo cried. He still looked quite fit, though his age was starting to show.

Genma bounced to his feet in anger. "Ungrateful boy! What are you doing in that form?" He had not changed much at all in the last fifteen years. His bald head was still hidden under his head-scarf.

"Sorry, got wet on the way home," Ranma sing-songed with a twinkle in her eyes.

"And where have you two been out to?" Soun asked. "You haven't been putting my little daughter in any danger, have you?" His hair was starting to wave as if a wind was about to pick it up, a sure sign of an impending 'Demon's Head Attack'.

"I have _not_ been _putting_ your daughter in any danger," Ranma snapped out.

"I'm right here, you know! And I can speak for myself!" Akane shouted. "Daddy! Ranma has not been 'putting' me in any danger." She hid a smirk at that small adjustment of truth. She was tagging along behind Red Hawk on her own free will.

"Nodoka will be here shortly. I think we should consider a marriage again!" Genma said in his most wise voice.

"I'm not marrying that macho chick!" Ranma cried out.

"Me marry that insensitive jerk?" Akane hollered just as loudly. "You have to be kidding me!"

Kasumi walked in with a frown on her face that she hid almost immediately. "The fathers are trying to force you to get married again?" she asked as she sat down at the table. "Oh, I have to fly to the United States."

"Can't they send someone else?" Soun cried, suddenly diverted from his struggle with his other daughter.

"I'll be perfectly fine! I'm just going to be part of some diplomatic matters that the department has to set up." She smiled sunnily at her father. "It will be fun seeing my old friends."

"But the terrorist attacks on planes going to the US are at an all time high! It isn't safe! I forbid you from going!" Soun put on his most formidable face.

"Father, I have to go. It's part of my work. I will be perfectly safe!"

Ranma got a gleam in her eyes even as she took a kettle from the live in housekeeper, Ami. One splash of hot water and his gender was restored. "Say, Akane, didn't you say you wanted to go to the United States sometime for a vacation?"

"Yes. Why?" Akane asked suspiciously. She glanced over at Kasumi when Ranma's hint got to her. "Say, Kasumi? I'm sure I could afford some tickets to go with you. If it wouldn't be an imposition."

"Akane! They'll shoot my little girl!" her father exclaimed with tears in his eyes.

"Daddy, I've got a decent Ultra Enhancement. No mugger with a gun is going to hurt me," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"My little girl wants to go to the United States and get mugged!" he started to wail.

"Kasumi, rescue me!" Akane said with a twinkle in her eyes. "I need a vacation from these _men_!"

"This isn't a vacation for me. It's part of my job," Kasumi said, smothering her laugh behind a quick cough.

Ranma and Akane shared a quick, corner-of-the-eyes glance. Akane piped up with, "Well, I could try to help out there. And it's not like I don't mind helping out with your department when I can."

"I'll see what I can arrange, but I'm sure something can be done," Kasumi said with a heartfelt smile. This may be just what they needed.

Ranma just nibbled on a bun while they waited for supper. He kept a nonchalant eye on his father. Any moment and-

"Boy! You must go with Akane!" Genma suddenly shouted.

"She doesn't even know if she is going!" he replied glibly. "And she wants to get away for us _men_, you know!"

"Luckily, that is something you can adjust!" And with that, Genma splashed Ranma with a cup of water when it appeared he wasn't watching.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" the suddenly-a-woman shouted in feigned anger. "Are you calling me a girl?"

"You certainly sound like one right now!" her father snapped back with laughing glee.

That was when Nodoka stepped into the room. She looked around disapprovingly. "Genma? Why did you do that? Isn't our son manly enough to make his own decisions?"

"Er, Nodoka! Of course he is! I'm just trying to make sure he watches out for his fiancée!" the man tried to protest half-heartedly.

"Why, of course our _son_ is going with Akane. That is the sort of thing that is just so manly, don't you think?" She smiled a perfectly innocent seeming smile that was totally at odds with the threat those words contained.

"Uh, sure! But no way are you guys trying to stick us in the same room again!" Ranma crossed her arms as if in a pout. When none of their parents were looking she gave a quick wink to Akane.

--------

"Flight 20512 direct to Washington D.C. is now boarding at F-16. I repeat, Flight 20512 direct to Washington D.C. is now boarding at F-16," the announcer proclaimed over the intercom. She shook her head at all the antics being put out by the elderly Emperor of Japan and his close advisers. Not to mention Rising Sun who looked incredible in her formal outfit. On top of her normal bodysuit she was wearing her ceremonial mask and cape. Not to mention most of her medals and ribbons.

But in this day and age, the Emperor had to fly publicly. So there were a smattering of people waiting for all of the non-First Class seating.

"Really, Daddy! Ranma and I'll be fine! Now shoo! You are attracting attention!" Akane told her father in a cross tone. She looked pointedly over at the television news crew.

"Where is Kasumi?" her father asked worriedly. He looked around Ranma, trying to spot his oldest daughter.

"Didn't she mention that she was asked to check some paperwork on the plane already?" Ranma replied, seemingly confused. He craned his neck to look around.

"Yes, she did. She said she'd meet us on the plane later. If she doesn't make it, she'll call your cell phone, Daddy!" Akane gave her father a small shove after patting the pen-like cell phone clipped to his dogi.

"Very well." He scooped up his daughter in a tight hug! "You do your father proud!" He whispered suddenly into her ear, "If you need any money to elope in Las Vegas, just let me know! I'll wire it immediately!"

"DADDY! Scoot!" Akane fumed at her father's back as he finally left.

Ranma and Akane studiously ignored a reporter they recognized. Umizo Kenchi. The same reporter that had been trying to ferret out for years a certain super-powered duo that they just happened to be.

Finally everyone else was allowed to board the plane. By amazing coincidence, Ranma and Akane were given a seat at the far front of the plane, right up against the curtain that led up to First Class. Akane took a deep breath and focused her energies. She then squinted up and down the airplane, looking over each of the passengers. "They look clean. At least I don't see any bombs."

Her financé just nodded as if it were a polite conversation. He felt a bit naked in this situation. Having to depend on his merely human abilities was something he did often, but he could not help feel a bit vulnerable. "So is that a new shampoo I smell?"

Akane smiled brightly. "Why, yes it is! Do you like it?"

"Pepperminty. For some reason that just seems so you. I'll be glad to get out of Nerima for a while. It's been a while since we've had anything worthwhile as a challenge." Ranma leaned over and took a deep breath through his nose to appreciate her scent.

"What? You don't want Kuno dropping in to demand that you quit attacking his reputation?" she said with a giggle. Her hand clasped his with fond familiarity. "Or his latest harebrained scheme to break us up? Or his sister's attempt to kidnap you? Or Ukyo?"

Ranma nodded. "It'll be nice to let our hair down, so to speak. Without the threat of being forcibly married or attacked."

"So when do we want to get married?" she asked archly.

He shrugged. "No real rush, after all. I think we'll have a long time together!"

"Our parents aren't getting younger, Ranma. I think I heard Daddy talking about making Nabiki's son Mika the heir to the dojo, just in case he has problems." She squeezed his hand gently. "And I think I'm more than ready."

"So do you think we should elope?" Ranma's grin was positively infectious.

"You overheard that, didn't you?" she said with a pout.

"Yup! Ancient Ninja Secrets, you know! Besides, I have the sneaking suspicion that they don't quite believe our little acting as much as they used to."

Akane sighed. "At least we will get to see something interesting this time."

The pony-tailed man at her side tensed. "We saw plenty of interesting things our first time in the US, too."

"Oh. I'm sorry Ranma. I doubt we will have a problem with Luthor now." She bit over her lower lip to show her worry.

"If that bastard come within a hundred miles of you, I'll rip his arms off and feed them to him," Ranma vowed quietly.

"I know. And he knows it, too." Akane squeezed his hand again, trying to relieve the sudden tension.

"He'd better."

The airplane started to taxi to the end of the runway. The new Boeing Space Flyer was the fastest public transport out there now. While it wasn't a real space ship, it could cut off hours off with its short orbit.

---------

"This is CNN live. The Emperor of Japan has just landed is about to be met by the United States Senator Schwarzenegger. While not a close friend, they've dealt with diplomatic issues in the past. Watching over the proceeding is Japan's premiere super-heroine, Rising Sun. Doesn't look like there will be much work for her today."

Akihito shook Arnold's hand firmly, even as he walked unsteadily towards the waiting cart. "Senator, it's nice to meet you again."

"Yes, it is quite nice to see you again." Arnold helped the more frail man into the seat and then helped his wife. He slid into a back seat. As the cart started moving off, Rising Sun floated just behind, looking constantly around. "I understand you wished to meet with me privately?"

"Not here, Arnold. The walls have ears," he replied.

--------

"This is Agent Viper. The Japanese Emperor has arrived. It definitely doesn't look like just a state visit like they are claiming. I'm betting that he's here to drum up United States support to protect Japan from our long term operation. I am going to be instigating local cells to stage an attack. Once the United States is blamed for killing such an important figure, Japan will be ours for the plucking." The oriental man clicked a button on his digital recorder. With just a few moments of work, he had transmitted it so that it could be encoded as a pirate music file that would end up in a North Korean Internet server.

He picked up a phone. "Hey, Roger? You hear about that Nip that's here? Doesn't that just **_boil your blood_** that one of them Japanese freaks is here after murdering your great grandfather during World War II?" He hung up and started laughing. "Your days are numbered, you murdering Japanese bastard!"


	2. Chapter 2

The Eagle and the Dragon - II

-

A fan fiction story revolving around the world of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures" and "Ranma 1/2." No infringement of ownership is meant. It is just for fun.Ranma and Akane sat across from each other on their hotel floor on their heads, legs and arms crossed as if they were sitting down. They both had a calm, but very focused look as they meditated. Suddenly, the phone rang. Ranma rolled off her head and walked over to the nightstand.

"Moshi moshi!" she said cheerfully. She listened for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, we'll be there soon."

Akane rolled over to end up in a cross-legged position. "Who was that?"

"General Winston. He wants us to go to OZ Headquarters." Ranma shrugged as she slipped her tight, lycra outfit on.

"Is this an unofficial visit?" Akane asked as she changed her own outfit.

"Well, Kasumi didn't want us to be publicly around while the three of 'us' are in the United States. Well, unless we have to."

Soon they were winging over Washington, D.C. Both of them had minimized their auras, so that most people would just ignore them. Not that it was really hard, as the Ultra Secret Service had desensitized the populace to people flying overhead. Red Hawk carried Retribution into a seedier, more commercial district. She suddenly dove down a smokestack that was hidden among other ones. This one was not belching forth soot or smoke and ended in a room deep underground.

Down a short set of steps and a long concrete hall, they ended up in front of very thick metal door and two soldiers. Each soldier carried the US's new M-6A .50 caliber personal weapon for Ultra Soldiers and wore thick plate armor painted in camouflage.

"Halt! Identify yourself with the reader there!" the first soldier yelled out.

"No need to yell! We can hear you fine!" Red Hawk groused as she fit in her OZ ID card into the panel on the wall and looked into an optic scanner. "Stupid peashooters," she mumbled very quietly. So quietly that only Retribution could have overheard her.

The other girl followed suit with a small, hidden smile to her companion.

"Identities confirmed," a female voice said over the speakers. The door opened behind the soldiers who snapped to attention.

As the door was closing behind them, one of the soldiers whispered to the other, "Is it true that they are dykes?"

Red Hawk almost turned around to give them a piece of her mind, but Retribution's hand on her shoulder stayed that. "Damn it. They shouldn't talk about you like that!" she groused.

"It's pretty obvious that something is going on between us, you know. Even the tabloids back home have figured it out," the black-haired girl noted as they took an elevator down another level and walked down another concrete corridor.

"Ah, ladies!" a younger man in a general's uniform said as he walked into the lobby that would have been unremarkable on any military base. A sign of the times of Ultra Enhancement, as the military was looking younger and younger, even as it gained age and experience. A young looking scientist followed him. Her blonde hair was cut off at her shoulders.

"General Winston. Dr. Newtrich," Red Hawk said in reply as she shook hands. "It's been a little while."

"Glad to see that you could just drop in on this business," Winston said as he led them to his office. Concrete walls were covered with wooden panels. "Now, do you have any indications as to what this is really all about?"

"We haven't been privy to the Emperor's thoughts, but I feel he's trying to get some help with the North Korean issue," Red Hawk said simply. "Things are getting... tense."

"Their demands are outrageous, but holding enough weight within the International Community that no one other than the United States seems willing to stand up to them," Lucille noted. "I still think these Earth First people are being bankrolled by the Eastern Block or the Chinese."

General Winston shook his head. "It doesn't add up. And their operatives capabilities add up even less. Every single Earth First-er that we've caught has not been enhanced. But we've caught them on tape doing super-human feats. Yet when we catch that exact person, he's totally normal." He turned to Red Hawk. "Is it possible that it is some martial arts thing?"

"I don't think so. I was involved in catching some of these guys in Japan. None of them seemed extremely skilled," Red Hawk replied. She looked over at Retribution.

The other girl nodded. "She's right. None of those guys were even black belt level."

"I really hate a mystery that we can't seem to crack. They aren't enhanced; they aren't super-martial artists. So what does that leave us?" Lucille said loudly.

Retribution suddenly snapped her fingers. "Magic or magic stuff. Like that weird guy that showed up during the investigation into the Neo Nazis with his staff."

"He claimed he was _Merlin,_ Akane!" Ranma said with a frustrated tone as she peeled her mask back over her head.

"You turn into a girl, remember?" Akane replied archly as she took off her own mask.

The sometime-girl opened her mouth and shut it with a snap.

The blonde scientist sighed. "That doesn't really help us though. It's not like we have anyone that we can contact about the occult."

Ranma and Akane shared a quick look that was not lost.

"Out with it, you two," the general commanded.

"You forgot Sailor Moon and her band of half-wits," the redhead explained. "We could probably track them down at some point when we get home."

"You do owe her your life, Ranma." Akane sighed. "Joy. I wonder how much property damage will happen this time?" she asked.

-

"How is the plan proceeding to destroy the only threat to _our_ design?" a dark haired man asked as he entered a shadowy office.

The shorter man glared at the mysterious person that had just walked into his office in Washington D.C. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that entering without knocking is considered rude, Tempest?"

"Yes, but I ignored that, Adolph. I ignore a lot of things."

"The Chinese and Russians are forcing the United States into reneging on their promise to protect Japan. Once that happens, the United States will begin to lose public support and show themselves as the weak cowards they are. World War III will really start when Japan is fully subjected for 'Humanity's' safety." Adolph Hitler's dead, dark eyes gleamed in triumph. His features were world famous, even without his mustache.

"And it's all going to come apart if you don't stop the Japanese Emperor from following through with his mad plan. Well anyway, I'm off." And with that, he left the office as quickly as he entered.

The shorter man just stared in shock. How did he do that? How did he have such an uncanny ability to predict what the enemies of the Lancelot League would do?

-

A girl stepped out of the air into a hotel room. Her outfit consisted of what appeared to be an odd uniform based on a Japanese school dress. Her dark colored outfit and emerald green hair hinted at an unearthly origin.

"DON'T do that!" the blonde haired girl lying on the bed exclaimed. "And you aren't supposed to be here any ways! You could blow our secret!"

"I'm sorry, my princess. But I had to come once I'd felt a chronal disturbance."

Usagi gave the other Sailor Scout a hard look. "The storm again?"

"It must be. And it is now, in Washington D.C., that it is happening." Sailor Pluto said enigmatically. "My Henshin Rod is attuned to those energies, even if the key to the Gate of Time is still lost to me." Even though she looked a bit younger than Usagi, Sailor Pluto radiated a cool aloofness that was palpable.

"But I'm not here for anything important!" the blonde protested.

"Don't you mean you haven't been told that you are here for something important?" Pluto replied archly.

Usagi glared at the most enigmatic Sailor Scout. "What do you mean by that?"

"More is going on here than it being said. Even I could see that. Read the news paper, princess."

The 'princess' responded by opening the door and leaving even as she fumbled for her music. Damn that girl and her allusions.

Usagi tapped the button on her ear-bud Micro-Mini Apple iPod, switching to another song. She sighed as she spotted Kasumi Tendo approaching her seat in the lobby of the hotel they had been staying in for the last three days. A double tap turned off the iPod. "How may I help you today, Miss Tendo?" she asked as she removed the pod and the matching earphone from her ears.

"Hello, Usagi! As a member of the Prime Minster's Office, I thought you should be invited to this meeting," the oldest daughter of the Tendo clan said in way of greeting.

"You know I'm just an intern, Miss Tendo."

"Yes, but you are the only official representative here of his government. And this is a delicate matter," Kasumi countered.

"Kasumi, I was sent here because I'm not exactly liked by my office!" she tried to protest.

"In that case, you may need to rethink your loyalties then," Kasumi said softly. "We live in dangerous times and must take decisive action to save _all_ ofour people."

The blonde young woman winced at that. "I guess I have no choice then." If it hadn't been her idea to go into politics, Usagi would have wept in frustration. What was a time-lost princess supposed to do in this age of democracy and republicanism, any ways? And a princess was just another sort of governmental leader, after all. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time!

-

"We are facing a crisis that our peoples have never dreamed of before," Emperor Akihito said as soon as Usagi and Kasumi sat down. "President Lee, Senate Majority Leader Schwarzenegger; I have sources within my government that believe that we will capitulate to the New Warsaw members and hand over one half of our Ultra Enhancement Facilities by the end of January. Those enhancement facilities cost us tens of billions of yen. We can not afford to lose them or to be forced to agree to this demand."

"This is not good at all," the aging president replied. "The United States will have to be seen to respond to this or construed as weakening in our protection of all of our allies. This could lead to attacks all over the world." It was an all too real threat in this new 'cold war'. "We can not allow an army like that to occupy key cities of Japan like they want for the transfer of the centers!"

Senator Schwarzenegger spoke up, "And with the problems in the Middle East draining us, we will be hard pressed to respond with any assets."

Usagi suddenly licked her lips nervously. This did not sound at all like the simple 'State Visit' that she had been told about. The wind of fate was blowing coldly. Her voice of the past was speaking to her, telling her of the dire changes in the making of this room. She was not able to listen closely to it right now; her concentration devoted to the present, not the past. But she did not need to understand it to realize the moment was now.

Emperor Akihito continued, "I understand your government's position, Mr. President. You will be constrained by popular opinion here and abroad. Action must be taken to draw our two peoples together. The leadership of Japan has lost sight of their purpose in defending our land. And many still resent that you defeated us after World War II, which will hamper us here. Public opinion must be swayed from apathy."

"That ultra-soldier rape affair from last year in Okinawa couldn't have happened at a worse time! Your news media is still running pieces on that trial and conviction." President Lee stood up and walked to the windows. "We can not force your government in this matter. If they 'give up' those facilities, we will not be able to directly intervene. The moneys that you have invested in those for your own people will be lost to our enemies, who will see you as even weaker foes to be destroyed. And they will have a formidable ability to begin to match our own enhanced soldiers' even while we fail to acquire their mecha technology. If that were too happen, the free world would be subjugated within ten years."

Silence filled the room.

"Yes, this is how I see the tapestry of the future unfolding. Drastic steps must be undertaken."

"Drastic steps?" Usagi squeaked out.

"I have a proposal for Japan to join the United States." The emperor seemed to wilt back into his seat. There, it had been said.

"I... am a bit confused. What do you mean exactly?" Senator Schwarzenegger asked in total shock.

"That Japan be brought into your union of states, so that we might not be forsaken in our darkest hour. To become oath brothers, carrying each others swords."

"You want Japan to become _part _of the United States of America?" he asked incredulously. The enormity boggled President Lee for a moment.

"Exactly. We have enjoyed increased goodwill for many years. The United States has treated us fairly in this new century. This is the only way I can see both of our people surviving this new, Dark Age."

-

A figure watched from the shadows outside the building. "Red Hawk to Retribution. I have a suicide bomber trying to walk in the front door! Moving to intercept." With that, Red Hawk suddenly blurred into superhuman speeds, snatching the triggering mechanism from the man's hands. Under his long coat you could see the bundles of plastic explosives strapped to his chest.

"Got some alien superheroes protecting their Emperor! Going to take out a superheroine!" the bomber said. He started laughing maniacally, though in fear or hilarity could not be determined.

"Um, you do realize that I just disarmed-" Red Hawk started to say, only to be interrupted by the explosives the bomber was carrying going off with thunderous power by some remote signal. The Ultra Enhanced girl was at ground zero of the blast and knocked senseless by the attack that obliterated the bomber.

Retribution appeared at just that moment, skidding across the ground. "Red Hawk!" Thank god she appeared to be fine, if stunned silly. What did the Earth First people gain by blowing up outside? With suddenness that seemed shocking, she turned and scanned with her X-Ray vision, seeing commando-garbed men charging in the back entrance from the sewers. "It's an assassination plot!"

"Go! Don't wait for me!" Red Hawk said groggily. "Protect the President and the Emperor." She closed her eyes in concentration. She had to recover more quickly.

Retribution charged back into the hotel and ran up the stairs before people even started to evacuate due to the fire alarms. She burst into the room in the face of all of the guns in the room, only to see that the President was gone. "The President?"

"Evacuated by the Ultra Service," Kasumi said, even as she checked her handgun with .50 caliber depleted uranium rounds. The Desert Eagle had become the choice of weapons for bodyguards. Kasumi had carried it in her civilian identity just for this sort of emergency. "We need to get the emperor to the safe room and then off the premises!"

The door kicked in again suddenly, as a different group of assassins burst in while firing their weapons. "Kill the Jap scum!" screamed one of them as he gunned down an aide to Senator Schwarzenegger.

Without thinking, Kasumi and Retribution had interposed themselves between the gunmen and their emperor, bullets bouncing harmlessly off of them.

"Retribution, is it? Kill that woman for us!" said a bigger man as he held up a pendant that glowed with ominous light.

"Magic? What?" Kasumi managed to get out before getting hit by Retribution's full power. To no effect, surprising everyone but herself, Akane and the emperor! Kasumi blinked in shock then scowled in anger. "Sorry," she said softly before unleashing a full-powered haymaker into her younger sister's jaw. Retribution exited the building through the roof at barely subsonic speed.

"Wha-?" the man with the mind-controlling amulet exclaimed, just before his hand was seared with heat vision, forcing him to drop the crystal amulet. "Rising Sun? But you are supposed to be hideous!"

"Never mind! Burn them!" yelled another assassin as he held up his clenched fist as incandescent flames licked out towards the more normal humans.

And Usagi screamed!

White light lit the entire room as the flames and everything stopped absolutely. Floating in the air, Sailor Moon took in the situation. The crystal brooch at her throat continued to pulse with her life force.

"This is wrong! Those tools of my past were not meant to be abused this way!" Sailor Moon said in a voice that was hers, but not. With a wave of her hand, the flame was snuffed out. With a wave of her other hand, glowing artifacts of power teleported from their places on four of the assassins. "You will no longer be able to sell your fear and terror after this!"

That was the last thing she said before she collapsed back into plain old Usagi just as time started back up.

Kasumi blew out her hastily sucked breath to knock over the assassins. Where had the flames gone? She could have sworn she saw a flash of light, but now nothing! Her resolve turned grim as she blurred into super speed and knocked unconscious all of the remaining thugs. She took a breath or two to calm herself down as she checked out the area. Luckily, the emperor was only stunned from the whole affair. She was reaching down to help him back to his feet when she heard a 'click' at the door.

Reacting instantly, eyes glowing in preparation to blast anything with heat vision, she turned right into the cameras just as they flashed. She gaped into the cameras as she kept herself between them and the Emperor.

-

"How could it fail?" Adolph Hitler shouted in the darkened office at the man who had just shown up. "We took everything into account! Now we have lost invaluable artifacts from this!"

"Idiot! What about the ancient Moon Dictator that is reborn? The readings are clear! She is behind this and every other major failure of intelligence! It's obvious that she is orchestrating this whole thing to take control of the Kryptonian Enhancement Process!" Tempest responded in anger. "Now they have captured four of your people that you can't let talk at all! She is protected from my sight!"

"They won't talk!" the short man proclaimed.

"Just like they wouldn't fail?"


	3. Chapter 3

The Eagle and the Dragon III

-

A fan fiction story revolving around the world of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures" and "Ranma 1/2." No infringement of ownership is meant. It is just for fun.

15th, 2017.

"Colonel Carter! I heard this is the big day for your new dimensional aperture device!" a young man in a United States Space Force's dress uniform called out.

Colonel Samantha Carter turned from where she was talking to General Harrington. "General, this is Lt. Royce. He's been invaluable on this project. As a matter of fact, he was the one that mentioned the Dr. Loyd's new quantum fissure theory to me. Without that, we would never have detected the Null Hyperspace." She shook Royce's hand.

"Colonel Carter says that this may be the break we've been looking for to really get to the stars," General Harrington looked over the officer. "Is that a German accent you have?"

"Just a little bit that I picked up from my Grandmother, sir." Royce smiled blandly. They couldn't suspect, could they? "It looks like you are ready to start at any time. I'll just stand back here, out of the way."

"Of course. General? Would you like to join me in the observation booth?" Sam asked while gesturing towards the stairs that led to the upper level. "It won't be the same as a Star Gate, but it should allow us to cut light years off journeys, once we've installed Null Gates on both ends."

"So we'd still have to send probes to anywhere we wanted to go?" Harrington asked. His rugged looks would have shown him to be closer to forty, rather than his nearly eighty years. But he'd been an invaluable tactician during the seventies and eighties. And one of the biggest movers and shakers still alive from the last Cold War.

Sam just nodded in response.

Soon booth of them we ensconced up in the command room for United States Space Force FTL research in Cheyenne Mountain. Right under NORAD.

"Colonel Carter? General Harrington? If you are ready?" asked the newly promoted Brigadier General O'Neil asked. "Spin it up, Woz."

In the large room below, the clunky looking 'gate' started spinning faster and faster. Electricity arced from the fifteen superconducting power relays. Fractal lenses of synthetic kryptonite had lasers of brilliant green energy focus on the gateway that was forming. With a roar, a shimmering white aperture opened.

"We have primary Null Hyperspace connection! Everything is reading stable. We have enough power to keep the connection open for five minutes- Sir! I'm detecting something breaching the barrier!" 'Woz' said suddenly.

Down below a figure stumbled out of the gate, followed by two more in rapid order. They raised hands to shield their eyes from the glare of the fiber-optic sun lamps.

"Shut it down!" Jack O'Neil looked down at the black garbed figures that were quickly getting to their feet. They looked human, Jack thought to himself. "Turn on the intercom. Hello down there!"

The lead figure looked up, squinting to see past the lights. He didn't seem to comprehend what Jack said. In perfectly unaccented _Kryptonian_ he replied, "I am Zod. Where am I?"

Without missing a beat, Jack responded in Kryptonian, "Welcome to Earth, Zod!" He shared a _very_ unhappy look with Harrington and Carter. The hairs on the back of his neck where trying to stand at attention.

-

"No comment! This area needs to be cleared immediately. This is a crime scene!" Kasumi Tendo said loudly. Just at that point, enhanced US Military Police and Secret Service were running down the hall towards this conference room with shocking super-speed.

Grumbling, the news reporters and cameramen backed out into the hall to let the authorities take charge. With practiced moves, emergency triage and first aid were being attempted.

Ten minutes later, what lives could be saved had been. Senator Schwarzenegger had been injured with a bullet wound to his arm. He had gotten off lightly compared to one of his aides. Along with the aide, two of the unenhanced Secret Service had died during the altercation.

But because of their civilian enhancements, one Secret Service agent and two civilians would live even though he'd been hit with armor piercing bullets. While they were doing that, Kasumi led the Emperor and his assistants away. Only then did she take the time to quickly, at blurring super-speeds, change her own shredded blouse and suit-jacket.

"OZ to Rising Sun," a voice said over her ear-bug. "Retribution has been recovered, but seems to be a little upset at how hard you hit her. And having to walk back about two miles."

"Thank you, OZ. Tell her I really didn't have much choice," Kasumi said as she stepped out the set of rooms that had been designated for fallback in case of attack. The Emperor and retinue were now safe. It was time to face the music.

"Kasumi Tendo? Kasumi Tendo!" the reporters started to yell out.

"Yes? Mr. Kujo," she said, gesturing at the first reporter.

"Is it true you are Rising Sun?"

For just a moment, she was tempted to answer in the negative. But an easily seen through lie is useless. "Yes, I am Rising Sun."

-

Soun Tendo was listening to the news. It was such a troubling period of time he thought as he pushed the round piece on the shogi board.

_"...as we call upon Japan to surrender a small portion of their enhancement facilities to the world for their crimes against humanity. We also call upon them to publicly spurn their American over masters and join the world in stopping the Alien Invasion among us! Send the Kryptonian and his family back to the stars that spawned him! EARTH FOR HUMANS!"_

_"Once again, that was the Chinese Ambassadors statement in this tense situation. The Warsaw Pact nations are once again demanding access to the Japanese built enhancement centers. Tokyo Nightly News has found sources that allege they are demanding access to all enhancements sites, even our uncompleted Tokyo II center that has barely broken ground. Jumo, what is your take on this?" _the lead anchor on the popular news show asked his co-anchor.

_"Kintaro, more and more, this is sounding like they are wanting us to let them bloodlessly invade our country for these valuable resources."_

Kintaro looked distracted by something off the screen, Soun noted as he watched Genma sneak an extra piece onto the board. Nodoka just shook her head in quiet mirth at the two older men's antics while she knitted a sweater.

"_This just in! There was a failed assassination attempt on Emperor Akihito just moments ago! Though saved by Rising Sun, she was forced to reveal her face and true identity as one of the Emperor's better known and often seen aides, Kasumi Tendo!" _A picture of Kasumi covering the Emperor's body protectively, her eye glowing a startling scarlet color appeared on the screen. Her bullet ridden blouse barely covered her modesty, but showed that her own body was unbloodied or even scratched.

There was a sudden crash from the kitchen even as Soun, Genma and Nodoka stared at the TV in consternation and then growing shock. They had all suspected who Red Hawk (and consequently Retribution) was for quite a while, but the most placid and gentle of the Tendos?

The phone started ringing as Ami walked in to the living room while putting it up to her ear. "Yes sir, I just heard over the television." She ratcheted a round in a larger than standard .50 caliber handgun, ear holding the phone to her shoulder. "Should I evacuate the premises?"

"Ami? What is going on?" Soun asked. The sound of the ongoing story was still in the background. He couldn't help but stare at the large gun she was carrying. Where had she gotten that?

"Yes sir. No one will kidnap them while I am here," Ami continued while holding up her hand to forestall more question from Soun. "Yes sir. You are sending over some of the JSDF to form a perimeter? Yes sir!" With that she hung up the phone. "I supposed you all have some questions?"

"Yes. Very much so," Soun said while pointedly looking at her fire arm.

"Just a precaution. It's unlikely that the Triad or other criminal organizations will be able to get here before a heavy security detail arrives, but I would ask that we close the windows until then. We are vulnerable to attack until then.

Nodoka quickly closed the rice-paper partitions, darkening the house immediately even though it was not that late. Suddenly, secret identities made a lot more sense.

-

November 19th, 2017.

Beeping was the first thing that Ranma heard. A very annoying beeping that was starting to speed up.

"She's waking up!" a male voice said.

"About time!" a very worried sounding Akane said loudly in the background.

"Don't worry, Retribution. That girl is tough as nails. She'll be all right now!"

Ranma finally opened her eyes blearily. "What happened?" It was no surprise to see that she was in a hospital bed. It vaguely matched her memories of the military hospital that was part of OZ.

"You stopped a suicide bomber, but that was just a distraction for the real attackers to infiltrate. They are definitely Earth First'ers," Retribution said in response. She opened the curtains a little wider. "Red Hawk should be up on her feet in no time now."

"The Emperor?" Ranma asked as muted pain started to filter through her nerves. She focused on her breathing and life force. Immediately she could feel her body starting to heal faster. Much, much faster. Unfortunately, drugs were also being filtered out of her body. The pain was excruciating, but nothing that she could not handle.

"Safe. Rising Sun saved him. Some aides and secret service died. And her secret identity was compromised. Some one tried to have the press break in on the Emperor's assassinated body!"

"This was some sort of publicity manipulation?" the red-haired girl in the bed asked.

Retribution nodded. "They had magical artifacts. They took over my mind for a minute, so Rising Sun had to knock me out!" She rubbed her jaw. "She almost broke my jaw, actually."

Ranma slipped out of the bed, swaying slightly. "So what is going on now?"

"I haven't heard much. The Emperor has been under much tighter security. Not only does he have Rising Sun but President Lee loaned him Ultra Service Agent Daniel Bar for his personal safety for this last week here."

"Wait a second? Weren't we supposed to stay here two weeks?" the red-head asked as she carefully removed her titanium needle and intravenous feed. She shook her head.

"It's been four days. I'm glad you are up as I was very worried. The Emperor is going to be making a public speech in just a few hours."

-

"That's my brush, twerp!" a young woman yelled out. Her dark, slightly Asian looking eyes were narrowed in a glare. She flipped her long, black hair over her shoulder. "Give it back, Jane!"

"Who are you calling a twerp?" Jane shot right back at her identical twin sister. The two nineteen year old stared at each other for a second at the bathroom sink, before Jane glanced at the brush closely. "Oops. Sorry, Mary."

Mary took the brush, vindicated. She deflated a moment later. "I shouldn't have called you that. I'm sure it was an accident. When is Mom due back from the Daily Planet?"

"Not for a few hours. Ever since she was made assistant editor, she hasn't been able to get out as often. I don't think it's going to last, myself." Jane squinted around to find her own brush, spotting it behind the toilet. "How did it get behind there?"

"Have you seen how old Uncle Perry is getting?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Mary just rolled her eyes. "He's probably going to be retiring soon. You know how dad is always saying that she's Perry's protégé, right?"

"But then she'd have to quit... you know?"

"Well, we've been talking about being a bit more public too. Mom and Dad don't have to do all the big rescues themselves," Mary said as she brushed her hair.

"Do you think we're ready?" Jane asked as she slid on a pair of glasses while her sister did too.

"You bet! Do you want to be Supergirl first or Ultragirl?" Mary replied as they walked outside into the cold snow that was starting to fall. They closed the door to the Kent's small townhouse in Metropolis.

"Well, you were always Daddy's little girl so I think you should be Supergirl!" the other twin remarked with a grin.

"And you get to wear that purple outfit and the auburn wig?"

"Well, I know you don't like the colors..."

"That's the truth, but it's a uniform. Maybe I'll convince Mom to change it to something less... purple." Mary opened the door to the little subcompact the two girls used to visibly go places.

Jane turned on the radio by habit even as she frowned. "I'm not looking forward to Professor Hilbert's lecture."

"You were the one that thought a bit more science background would be useful in our extracurricular activity," her twin noted. "Remember, that we're supposed to head over to the Daily Planet later to do some research for Uncle Jimmy." Mary put it into gear and started to back out.

"You don't-" Jane started to say as a breaking news story about a sinking ship. In moments they had the car parked back in the driveway and they rushed back inside like they had forgotten their books. Half a moment later, two streaks rocketed towards the harbor out the back window under the cover of the trees that their father had planted almost twenty years ago.

-

"Do you think this will work?" Jonny asked his partner.

"Yeah! I just heard over the radio that Superman and Ultrawoman are in Peru helping with a mudslide that's threatening some towns. Those ships will be on the bottom of the harbor before even they can get back!" Bill replied. "The Boss wants to make sure that those items are ruined."

Twin sonic booms seemed to herald Metropolis's pair of superheroes.

Bill raised his binoculars even while silently wishing his Luthor enhancement was a bit stronger so he didn't need it. "Dammit! They aren't supposed to be here!" He looked for a long moment. "Wait!"

"What?"

"Unless Superman has visited Sweden recently, that ain't him."

Jonny looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Those are two dames! But they are wearing the uniforms? That doesn't make a lot of sense. Let's head down to the dry docks.

In just a few minutes, the huge container filled cargo ship was being lowered carefully by the two young superheroines.

Bill and Jonny elbowed through the growing crowd, "Hey! Who are you two girls?" Bill finally yelled out.

The girl in the 'super' outfit bowed at the waist in mid air. "I'm Supergirl!"

"And I'm Ultragirl!" the other girl said with a similar bow

"And we're here to help!" they yelled out just before they took off at a subsonic pace.

Bill looked over at his partner. "The Boss ain't gonna be happy about this."

"No duh!'

-

"Emperor Akihito, are you sure you are up to this? Your system has had a very bad shock from the assassination attempt! You are almost eighty-four years old!" Rising Sun said as she stood to the side as the emperor checked his appearance one last time.

"You are being fussy, my dear! I feel alive and invigorated in a way I haven't felt for decades!"

"Akhito! You should listen to Kasumi!" Michiko berated her husband with a smile.

"This is too important! I must make this speech today, even with the increased threat of attacks." He took his cane and let Rising Sun lead him out onto the White House lawn where the press and dignitaries awaited.

Kasumi swallowed, but left her helmet off as she floated above and behind the emperor while scanning the crowds. She was in her formal outfit that looked like a white military uniform with a red cape. Shiny white boots, a red belt and gold tassels and a modest number of medals were displayed. It even included an ornamental saber that was part of her custom JSDF uniform. How odd to actually be referred to her JSDF rank of Major with her real name.

President Lee spoke for a while, stressing the goodwill between their countries and importance of continuing relationship. The real speech that would be making headlines would be from Akihito, not Lee this day.

Kasumi nodded pleasantly to Dan Bar and a few other Ultra Service Agents here protecting the President and visiting dignitaries. She carefully overlooked the Chinese and Russian ambassadors with a very bland expression.

President Lee's address finished up to polite applause. The White House Press Secretary took a moment to introduce Emperor Akihito of Japan.

Carefully leaning his cane against the podium, Akihito gripped the podium carefully. "People of the world and our dear friends in the United States, I come to you in troubling times. Enemies at our gates demand that we surrender without a fight. To give up our rewards for our hard work and promising future with threats and declaration of war." The emperor took a deep breath, his chest tightening. "With accusations of treachery and terror, they seek to subjugate us and steal from us our hard wrought peace and prosperity."

The Chinese ambassador suddenly stood and stalked off, unable to bear to hear the accusations. Behind the Emperor of Japan, the Japanese delegates looked on in shock. Usagi Tsukino face was taut with stress and fear. Strangely, her brooch seemed to be glinting brightly in the sunlight.

"The Dark Dragon casts a shadow across the all of our lands! It brings fear and despair with its wings of war. Only the Eagle of Freedom stands between us and a new era of war and doom! Today, people of Japan, I come before you not merely as a remembrance of our historic past, but as a citizen of our fair country. I ask that our friends here in the United States protect us as they have in the past. We have had a peaceful life, but peace must always be worked towards. Always protected! We can not quietly let the warmongers of the East take our country from us through our inaction." Akihito gripped the podium a bit tighter. The audience in front of him was enraptured, listening to his every word.

"People of Japan, if I could I would ask that you follow me in defense of our lands. But we do not have the ability to do so. The western nations and the United States in particular have been our defense for a long time. They can not do it alone in this dark age! They need our help." Akihito again gripped the podium even as sweat burned his brow. "Japan has come far from our sordid past and become a valued member of the International Community! We can not stand alone, nor can our great friends here in the United States stand alone. Our leadership has failed us my countrymen and women. They seek to pay the robber on the road for a few moments of fearful peace." He took a deep breath. "But a bully does not quit if you give him your coin and wallet. It merely shows him that you are weak."

With a sudden shout, he banged his fist on the stand. "But we are not weak! Not Japan nor our friends in the United States! What a great phrase that is, to be 'united'! My friends, my family, my country! Let us be strong and united with our trusted allies!" Blood was pounding in his ears even as the pain (oh, that's what that was!) grew in his chest. "My noble people! Let us choose! Choose between the Dragon and the Eagle! Choose between Darkness and Light! Choose- Choose between fearful peace and stalwart defenders! I came to this great country to beg President Lee to save my country, my home! But the only way- The only way is to let them carry our sword, while we carry their shield. Let not our pride keep us from our allies! Let us join these United States! United but diverse! United in freedom and prosperity!"

"Choose the Eagle, my people! The Eagle!" Emperor Akihito said in a harsh low voice. And with that he started to topple and sag, his face beading with sweat and pale with exertion.

With a blur of super motion, he and Rising Sun disappeared.

-

"He should have been dead!" the oriental looking spy said into a odd crystal that glowed a pulsed. "I hit his heart hard enough to kill a man half his age!" He wove in between cars away from the White House. "We should have gone with the stroke! Instant death!"

Blinding light, far brighter than the Sun in the sky shown in front of the car. In a panic, the assassin jammed on the brakes.

"Who the hell is that girl!" a taxi driver yelled as he stared at the young woman in the short skirt. She sure was showing an awful lot of leg in that outfit.

Sailor Moon looked very, very angry as she walked up to the car door that stood in between her and the assassin. With a casual wrench, she ripped the door off and tossed it fifteen feet away.

"Stay back!" the assassin screamed as he tried to scramble to the opposite door.

"No! You won't escape. You won't harm another old man or the dreams of peace that he promotes! Your tainted League will not harm anyone again!" Sailor Moon shouted. Her brooch was glowing brightly suddenly, as the arcane objects in his possession just disappeared. She grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him out. "Someone please call the police. This man needs arresting."

-

Zod looked over at the brightly garbed newcomers that had arrived at the 'Star Gate' project. Such gaudy cloths this Kryptonian wore. At his side stood a woman with supposedly as much power as himself.

"Greetings, Zod," Superman said in Kryptonian. "I don't think I've heard of a Kryptonian name like that."

Zod nodded to his companions. Without words, they prepared themselves. "I do not have a house name anymore. Though I would be curious about yours." Non and Ursa casually walked over to 'shake hands' as the Earthling custom went.

"Oh, you didn't know? I am Kal-El of house-"

"El!" Zod almost shouted in surprise. "Your father was whom?"

"Jor-El. He was a great scientist that managed to send me-" Superman was saying when he was again interrupted by Zod.

"Never in a million years did I imagine this day." Zod suddenly pulled back his fist in a blur and punched Superman straight in the face.

Superman slammed against the side of the mountain with stunning force. This is not what he expected to run into at NORAD on his detour from Peru. He spat blood from his split lip while looking up at his attackers. "Why?" he shouted in Kryptonian as the Kryptonian with the goatee floated out of the hole in the side of NORAD towards him. _'Lois!' he mentally yelled_

"Kneel before General Zod of the Imperiator Movement, son of Jor-El! Kneel or die!" the self-proclaimed General shouted as he floated in the air above Superman. "Long have I waited to make the House of El pay for imprisoning me in that timeless void!"

Non just grunted. "Just break him, Zod! I'll snap him like a twig!" The huge and burly Kryptonian looked like a caricature of some prehistoric brute. His hands were smeared in blood.

The darkly pretty Kryptonian woman just laughed. "Why don't we play some more with this 'Superman', Zod? We have a world to conquer after this, after all!"

"Well, Kal-El? Will you die or will you kneel before your new master?"

"Never!" Superman shouted as he charged Zod at full speed.

Zod, Non and Ursa were prepared though. Being nearly as powerful as him and extensively combat trained, he didn't stand a chance. In mere seconds, he was beaten unconscious. Zod did have some bruises and a split lip for his troubles.

"Kill him, my love!" shouted Ursa.

Zod flashed her a look of annoyance. Suddenly, evil inspiration shone in his eyes. "No. I have a better idea." He floated back into the mountain through the hole he had made. In just moments, he was standing in front of the ring. He looked around, seeing the strewn bodies. Many of the humans were still alive, he realized in surprise. "Non, imprison the living and dispose of the dead. Ursa, use these primitive computers to turn on the Phantom Zone gate."

In moments, Non had removed all of the bodies. The brutish Kryptonian bent steel struts and beams around the surviving ones at super speed. Above in the control room, Ursa finished accessing the computers they had.

"General Zod, the gate will only be open for five minutes."

Colonel Samantha Carter raised her bloodied head surreptitiously. With a chilled heart, she realized that the only reason she was in as good a shape was because of her special forces enhancement. She only had a concussion, in comparison to the many broken bones she saw on the regular enhanced soldiers. She looked over at GI Jane, but the ultra soldier was very unconscious from Non and Ursa's double teaming. These were monsters! How could anyone with a shred of humanity kill unenhanced soldiers like that? They had been defenseless!

"Power is building. Phantom Zone aperture is now stable!" Ursa called out.

"Good! Kal-El, son of Jor-El, for your family's crimes against Zod you are hereby banished to the Phantom Zone until I can recreate my Cerebrum system again! And then you will kneel before your rightful ruler!" General Zod shouted just before he threw Superman through the shimmering white light.

"This one?" Non asked, his words more of a grunt. He toed GI Jane, turning her over. She groaned in response.

"Send her through the portal. With the information that Ursa gained from their computers, that only leaves Kal-El's wife to stand in our way. And she can not stand against us all."

GI Jane was summarily dropped through the gate, just before it cycled down. Without a backwards glance the trio of criminal Kryptonians left.

The moment they had left the room, the air shimmered as a figure appeared. Royce removed a blue mask. "League Central, I need to portal some explosives to me," he said into a strange crystal bracelet he wore. A rip suddenly appeared next to him in a blinding flash. With practiced moves, he started to lay the C4 explosives on the gate.

"What are you doing, Royce?" Sam shouted.

"Still awake, Sam? It should be obvious. I'm destroying this portal and stranding Superman in the Kryptonian prison of the Phantom Zone. He'll never die, but it is impossible to physically escape by yourself." Royce just grinned to himself as he finished. He held a triggering mechanism in his hand.

"Why? How could you betray your country like this?" she screamed at him.

"Because Superman is in the way of our true purpose. Not even the moderates in the League can stop us now! Arthur won't be able to stop us either and we will rule this Earth!" Royce raised his hand and the mechanism above his head. "Hail Hitler!"

Sam and Jack's blood ran cold at that pronouncement.


	4. Chapter 4

The Eagle and the Dragon IV

-

A fan fiction story revolving around the world of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures", Star Gate SG-1 and "Ranma 1/2." No infringement of ownership is meant. It is just for fun.

15th, 2017

-

Mrs. Hannah Jenns looked up at the knocking on her classroom door for college physics. "Yes? Enter?" She turned away from the chalkboard.

A very unusual looking fellow, wearing 19th century gentleman's clothing, opened the door timidly. "Excuse me, miss. I need to speak to Jane Kent for a moment."

Jane looked at the middle-aged man for a moment, before sending a querying look at her teacher.

The teacher eyed him for a minute. The little man looked like no threat, and she knew Jane Kent had a black belt in self defense. "Go on. Be back as soon as possible," her teacher said as she turned back to her board.

Jane followed the man out of the class. The near area of the hallway was nearly deserted at this moment, but there were some people just out of normal earshot. He blinked at her through his round-rimmed glasses. "My dear, it is very, very important that when your mother asks for your help in dealing with General Zod in one minute that you go directly to Cheyenne Mountain. Your father and the fate of the world depend on it."

"Who are you?" Jane asked in shock, her face suddenly pale and drawn.

"Oh! I am so very sorry! H.G. Wells! But you can call me Herb, if you like!" the eccentric author said quickly. "I did not mean to upset you, my dear!"

"The author? But..."

"Just ask your parents about me. After this crisis is over. And tell them that Tempus is back." He tipped his hat and turned to walk off.

_'Jane!' _her mother yelled out telepathically. _'Three Kryptonians have just attacked your father and are on a direct course for Washington D.C. Meet us there!'_

Jane sat frozen for one second, and then started moving quickly down towards an empty hallway. _'Mom? Who is Tempus?'_

_'You stay away from him! He's nearly killed Superman before!'_ came back her mother's worried telepathy.

That decided Jane. In a whirl, she switched to her Supergirl outfit.

_'Jane? JANE!' _Lois shouted mentally.

-

General Zod looked over the manicured lawns of the White House with a sneer. In front of the building bodyguards were amassing. Primitive chemical powered guns and a few rocket launchers were being readied.

Of more concern were the twelve humans floating in the air above them. Wearing navy blue, tight fitting uniforms, they seemed to be Kryptonians. Kryptonians here!

Non and Ursa narrowed their eyes at this. The military records they had pilfered had stated there was only one Kryptonian on Earth. The so-called Superman. "This could be more exciting than we thought, General," Ursa said with a grim grin.

_'Destroy their Kryptonite weapons,' _Zod ordered telepathically. He sucked in a great breath and then suddenly blew all of the bodyguards away on the ground. Then blasts of heat vision stabbed out in rapid staccato melting the odd weapons in their hands.

"They've taken out the Kryptonite!" yelled out one of the men on the ground that had managed to keep his feet in that gale. The lead-line guns had carried the precious bullets of Kryptonite for use in just this sort of instance.

"Yes, of course," Zod pronounced. He suddenly pointed at what he thought was the leader of the floating men straight in front of him. "You! What family and house do you hale from!"

Arnold grinned tightly. "I'm a Stevens, of course. From Brooklyn, New York."

"Your Kryptonian house, fool!"

"I'm human, born and bred. Fool." Arnold snapped back. "We all are, except for Superman."

"What? But you have _Kryptonian_ powers!" Ursa exclaimed.

"That's right. Ain't technology a wonderful thing?" the presidential bodyguard responded with a smug grin.

"Fascinating. Zod, may we keep one alive to torture for the secret of this technology?" Ursa asked in dark glee.

Non scowled at the figures floating in front of him. "I want to fight!"

"Go, Non. Kill all of them but one!" Zod commanded.

-

Supergirl flashed westward at her fastest pace, just skimming the atmosphere like her father had taught her. Up here, she could accelerate to 'super-super' speeds but still know how much to slow down. Something he had only picked up accidentally. In just seconds, she was going to be within visual range of NORAD.

Deep inside the FTL research center, Royce suddenly started laughing. "Yes, American. The Third Reich still lives."

"The Third Reich died along with Hitler during World War II. Royce, you are insane!" Samantha Carter shouted. She struggled futilely with the steel girder that was wrapped around her arms. She had the strength of fifty men and she wasn't nearly strong enough.

"Of course it died with Hitler," Royce replied mockingly. He went back over the explosives that he'd planted on the Phantom Zone gateway and the supports. "With this destroyed and you dead, the Lancelot League will know that _our_ faction is correct. We shall destroy these alien supermen and take over, as we should have decades ago." He pulled out a little remote control and then held up a little crystal to his lips. "I need a teleport gateway now."

Reality seemed to fade and twist in a mind-numbing manner as a grinning crystal skull and golden chain appeared, tearing a jagged hole in the nothing of the air, revealing a dark chamber that bore a nightmare resemblance to Frankenstein's lab built up on a huge scale. It was filled with frantic activity, arcane machines, glowing crystals and just a step away, much to Samantha Carter's horror and shock, a man grasping the golden chain that was attached to the crystal skull that seemed to be warping space with his face lit by a hellish red glow that revealed the smiling insane continence of Adolph Hitler.

But that was impossible. It _had_ to be impossible.

"How!" Sam exclaimed.

"Needless to say, you won't live to really find out. But there are more Kryptonites than just red and green." With that, Royce stepped through the portal that closed right behind him.

**_BOOM!_** The sudden shock of displaced air and a blur of red and blue flashed around the room, ripping loose all of the bombs in the room. Supergirl paused for just a second to look at Sam and the comatose General Jack O'Neil, then tried to speed outside with the bombs. She barely made it to the door when _all_ of the bombs went off with a thunderous explosion. The doorway was a shattered ruin and Supergirl was flung backwards to land up against the wall.

"Owie," she said in complaint as she sat up. "That actually stings." Supergirl stood back up. "Let me get you out of there." With a casual strength belying her skinny form, Supergirl ripped off the girders that had been holding Sam back.

Sam scrambled over to Jack's comatose body. "Jack!" she shouted, then breathed a sigh of relief as she felt a pulse.

-

"Ami! Minako! Makato! Rei! You really made it!" Usagi shouted from across the lobby. Her old friends and boon companions across the ages had arrived, just like they said they would.

Rei just rolled her eyes. Would their leader ever realize her potential and grow up?

Usagi led the way to the motel, past the police barricades and the construction crew. The police just nodded at her "That should be the end of the exciting part of this trip," the blonde said. "I've got your rooms ready and we can use the sauna they have here to relax-"

"What's that?" Ami asked, pointing at the TV in the lobby.

Usagi stopped and looked. "Well... It looks like some sort of superhero thing."

Minako looked it over. "Another Kryptonian invasion?" she asked worriedly.

"I think the technical term for that would be 'bad,'" Makato said in a half-hearted attempt at humor.

-

Non squeezed down hard on the Ultra Agents neck. This would be the first one to die at his hand, mere moments into the fight. Several of the bodyguards were already unconscious; all of the guards were wounded. The full kryptonians were far more dangerous than their numbers would have suggested. Attached to their wrists were exotic energy weapons that they had cobbled together in Colorado.

Ursa was busy blinding two more with blasts of heat vision. One of the female Secret Service agents suddenly lashed out with her own, weaker heat vision in a desperate bid to push her back. Zod had Ursa's back, an agent in an elbow choke-hold while he used yet another to bludgeon his friends.

The massive, bearded kryptonian suddenly roared in agony as his hands that had been crushing the life out of his foe were suddenly scalded by searing heat vision.

"Surrender!" Ultra Woman shouted as she and Ultra Girl floated down. Just a moment later, two more figures zoomed in from downtown. Rising Sun and Dan Barr moved to flank them.

"Ah, the Ultra Woman. The one that wears false Kryptonian symbols," General Zod exclaimed. "The one that has a special place in Kal-El's heart. I will enjoy crushing you as much as I did him."

All of the humans were shocked at this. Superman, defeated?

Zod started laughing. "Oh, the looks on your faces. Yes! Your savior will not be coming to save you today! The house of El is finished!"

"No it isn't!" Ultra Girl blurted out angrily. Her fists were tightly clenched.

"Ultra Girl!" Ultra Woman snapped out angrily. They had not talked about going public about their family. Though they really hadn't had much time to discuss anything about their daughters going public like they had.

Zod just smirked as he released the bodyguard he'd been choking and flung the other one away. "The House of El died with Kal-El."

"The House of El is larger than you think," the young woman snapped out in her heavily accented Kryptonian. "I am Mar of House El." She was telling the truth, just not the _full_ truth, as was normal for her family. The Kryptonian Enclave that was secreted in Brazil had wanted her family to be more in touch with his side of the family, so had entered them into the New Kryptonian records under the House of El.

Dan Barr raised an eyebrow at that. So that persistent rumor that Superman was married with children had some truth? Oh well. It wasn't really his business.

Zod's face flushed scarlet. "It doesn't matter. Once I've killed you, I will finally be free of the House of El." He rocketed right at Ultra Girl and smashed them both through the fencing and onto Pennsylvania Avenue. "I will crush you as easily as I did your Superman!" he shouted as he clasped his hands around her throat even as her own fingers clawed at his wrists.

-

"Echo-Baker-Alpha, you are clear. Good hunting men!" General Hampton called out. The commando squad he was sending out was the primary strike team, equipped with some of their best items they still had or could make. "Well, Adolph? Are you happy?" he asked the shorter man next to him.

"Happy? Of course not! We shouldn't need to send a second team to clean up this mess! The Emperor of Japan should already be dead and Japan falling to the Eastern Block Powers." Adolph Hitler's temples were starting to gray finally. He was close, he knew, to finally realizing his plans for world domination.

"We can't fail this time. The rest of the league is convinced that we can not allow Japan and the United States to rally in mutual defense."

"I truly hope so. I worry about this Sailor Moon. The old records tell of the ancient dictator, the Queen of the Moon and that she was an immortal goddess, horrible and strong. Our great magics are nothing more than the remnants of her kingdom. Only now in this modern age are we beginning to understand that her magic was merely advanced technology and she must be dead," the Nazi leader said. "Lieutenant Lungren will have to succeed. We can not allow anyone but ourselves control the ancient artifacts of Atlantis."

"Yes, of course."

-

"Ranma! Hurry up! Kasumi said we had to take over primary protection for the Emperor!" Akane shouted as she finished pulling on her mask.

"Where is my mask?" the sometime girl complained. She squinted around, looking through the bed and into the different drawers of her hospital room. Suddenly, Ranma and Akane both looked around, feeling an imminent sense of danger. With barely a moment to focus their minds, they blurred out of the room far faster than the un-enhanced eye could follow.

The soldiers wearing nondescript military uniforms were running fast down the hall past startled nurses. They turned the corner and spotted four surprised bodyguards. Silenced gunfire rang out, cutting three of them down but only wounding the final soldier.

"He's enhanced! Use armor-piercing rounds!" the captain of the assassination squad shouted out. He ducked for cover as the bodyguard started snapping out accurate shots in reply. The bodyguard managed three headshots before the assassins gunned him down. But the retort of the bodyguard's unsilenced pistol had surely alerted any remaining security. They had only moments before enhanced American security showed up.

Like a well-oiled machine, the captain aimed and then fired his undercarriage grenade launcher. His grin died before it could even blossom as a blur _caught_ his grenade. Ranma reached out with her free hand and ripped the handle off the nearest door still in super speed. She threw the handle at the window at the end of the hall, followed almost instantly by the grenade. She turned back just in time to see a slightly slower red and black blur cannoned into the mysterious soldiers.

To the unenhanced, it looked like twin red and black tornadoes tore into the soldiers, leaving broken, bleeding and very unconscious assassins in their wakes. The distant sound of the grenade going off punctuated the end of the fight.

Ranma looked around carefully. "That's all of them!" Behind her she could hear the telltale bleep of a camera from a cell phone. She just raised her eyebrow at the nurse and then shook her head. Seeing her without her mask was not going to ruin her 'secret ID', after all.

"Right, Redhawk!" Retribution called out. She reached into her belt for the special zip-ties made of nano-filaments that could hold even enhanced people. She was just reaching down for the first one when the body seemed to flicker in three directions.

"Dammit!" Ranma yelled out. "Not again!" She clenched her fists tightly.

"Face facts, Redhawk. We need to talk to the experts if we are going to unravel this problem," her partner said with a sigh.

The redhead winced, clutching her wounds. She'd probably overdone that. "Yeah. I guess we need to call that shrine."

-

"Oh my head," Jack O'Neill said in complaint as he came back into consciousness again. "Did anyone get the number of that bomb that hit me?" He sat up and shook his head carefully, to make sure everything was in one piece.

"Sorry, sir. How are you feeling?" Samantha Carter asked. She was glad to see him conscious again. Though with him fading in and out like that, he had to have a severe concussion.

Supergirl tried to pat the bomb stain out of her cape. "Drat. I just made this," she bemoaned.

"You are all right, I take it?" the major asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah! It just stung a little. I take it saving that... thing was important?" the maid of might asked. She looked over at the strange circular arch.

"Only if you consider saving Superman important," Sam replied archly at the strange complaint the girl stated. She was more worried about her outfit than the bomb?

"What in the hell happened while I was out of it?" Jack snapped out.

"Zod and his cohorts knocked out Superman and GI Jane and threw them through the portal into the null hyper dimension we were going to use as a FTL network," the scientist explained. "While not as useful as the Ancient portal system from the alternate-"

"Later, Sam! How do we get Superman back so he can help take down these rogue Kryptonians?" her superior officer asked.

"Well, with a bit of work and repair, we can probably get the portal operative in an hour!" Sam started to mentally tally the needed items. Luckily, the damage really was superficial from the near blast of the bomb.

"That's too long! Ultra Woman and Ultra Girl are going to be facing off against these psychopaths right now!" Supergirl exclaimed. It was obvious that she was very worried.

"Well, you are probably fast enough to get it done in just a few minutes, but you don't have my knowledge. Unless you are some high powered telepath, we are a no-go for that," Sam responded.

"We could use telepathy?" the young girl said, a muted note of horror in her voice.

Sam shared a quick glance with Jack. There had been rumors for years that the Kyrptonians were telepathic. "Yes. I'll guide you through things at super-speed."

'_Then let's get started,_' the young woman transmitted telepathically. She sent out tendrils of her mind into the colonial's in ever-stronger strands.

'_You... this is amazing,'_ Sam responded. She reasserted herself, ignoring the odd duality of the mental contact she was feeling. It wasn't like she had a lot of experience with this telepathy thing. _'This is what we need to do,'_ she sent telepathically. The layers of protection that each mind used to shield itself from unpleasant truths within were being stripped back.

_'I understand,'_ Supergirl replied even as she began to blur into super-speed.

Jack stared in surprise and then awe as both women started to work. Sam was a slower blur, but the damaged kryptonite laser array was quickly bent back into shape and heat vision welded the connectors. The main frame was slightly twisted back into perfect alignment by two sets of super-strong fingers even as the brigadier general watched in amazement. He whistled in awe.

In just a few minutes gate to the null hyperspace field was rebuilt.

"Great job!" Jack said with a smile as he clapped, like they were a circus sideshow.

Both women smile fondly at him in eerie duplication. Then they frowned and slowly their expressions started to shift and change. Relief shown on Sam's face while Supergirl's twisted in concentration.

"Remind me not to do that again," Supergirl complained.

Sam gave her an odd look. "Right. Well, let's get this powered up."

A computerized voice spoke up, counting down the time until the device would activate.

-

Zod grinned wolfishly as he strangled the daughter of El in his hands. His eyes glowed for a moment, just barely warning her to activate her own heat vision in defense. Breaking all _known _interactions of radiant energy, they collided and blocked each other.

"You will die here today. The House of El _will_ die, Mar of El!" Zod yelled loudly in Kryptonese. But nothing he could do could force his heat vision to burn out her eyes.

"Never!" she shouted in reply, even as she broke the grasp on one of his hands and punched him twenty times in his kidneys. Unfortunately, superspeed robbed her blow of much of its strength.

Behind him, the brutish Non was tussling with Rising Sun and Dan Barr, in what appeared to be a haphazard manner that tumbled them into all of the other Secret Service agents. Meanwhile Ursa and Ultra Woman traded blows. Ultra Woman seemed slightly outclassed in power and speed, but her fighting skills seemed to be holding her steady until the female Kryptonian criminal used one of her hand weapons to blind her in a black mist of energy. Three super-speed nerve pinchs nearly put her out of action until Ursa's next lethal blow was blocked by a far weaker Arnold Stevens. He may be weaker, but he was still super powered. He used his whole body as his sensei Tendo had explained to smash a punishing blow to her chin, even as her leg kicked out far more powerfully to return the blow to his stomach.

"_Gnitsalb pots Doz!_" a female voice said in a seemingly nonsensical manner from just off the side of the battle.

What happened was quite shocking, as Zod's heat vision... just quit. In that collapse, he was blasted by Ultra Girl's heat vision, scorching his eyes. Zod screamed as his eyes were burned accidentally, as Ultra Girl had only been blocking his own attack.

Non took advantage of the momentary shock to crack the distracted Rising Sun and Dan Barr's head together with stunning force. He turned to find out what had happened to his leader, the infamous General Zod. The general was kneeling while he had his hands clasped over his scorched and smoking eyes.

"What have you done?" Zod screamed in agony. "How?"

"I cast a spell on you," the woman in her tuxedo jacket and shirt, but wearing high heels and fishnet stocking. She completed her outfit with a top hat on her medium length black hair. She tipped her top hat in a mock salute. "I do thank you for announcing your name to all who could hear it!"

Ursa raised her eyebrow at that even as she took a step back. Ultra Woman was still incapacitated by her little device, while the remaining Ultra Secret Service was watching her carefully for any other kryptonian weapons. "Magic? Impossible!"

"That's the definition of magic, my dear! Impossible! And for my next trick, I give you... _peels ot og asru!_" she quickly incanted while wiggling her fingers at the female Kryptonian

Even as Ursa fell to the ground, sleeping like a child, Non reacted instinctively. No genius like the other two criminals, he was a vicious fighter with harsh instincts that did not fit well on his native world. His blow shattered her jaw and sent her flying fifty feet. Just before he could fly over and crush her; small, petite hands stopped his fists.

"That's enough!" Supergirl announced. With a twist and spin, she spun Non around using an super-judo move to smash him headfirst into the ground.

"Supergirl! It took you long enough!" Ultra Girl shouted out, letting herself be distracted from Zod for just a second.

That was a mistake, as Zod's eyesight had recovered enough. In a blur of super-speed, he smashed into Ultra Girl. Holding her from behind, he started to twist her neck with the crook of his arm. "The House of El will die today, Mar of El!"

A sense-shattering boom rocked Washington D.C. and suddenly Zod's arms were wrenched from Ultra Girl's neck. "Let her go, Zod!" Superman declared coldly. Behind him floated a very angry looking GI Jane, her cheek bruised and her nose still broken.

Off to the side, Ultra Woman started spinning rapidly. The inky black energy tar that encased her was shed spectacularly.

"How? I left you stranded in the Phantom Zone!" Zod exclaimed, shaken by the sudden appearance of Superman. The criminal 'general' broke free from his grasp with a desperate burst of strength.

"Supergirl and a few very good people in the military staged a rapid rescue. You can't take on a whole planet, Zod. Your kind of criminal isn't wanted here and won't be tolerated. You are out numbered and outgunned," Superman said, eyes still narrowed in anger.

Zod pursed his lips in sudden thought. Non was at his back, but Ursa was still unconscious on the ground from that supposed 'magic'. "Very well, Kal-El. You have carried this day." He smiled coldly at him, floating in the air with over a dozen super heroes behind him. "But can you defuse all of the bombs we dropped in this city as we arrived? Or will you attempt to capture us instead." He pressed a small button. "Thirty of your seconds. Be quick!" And with that, he took off to the east, Non following right behind him."

In an eyeblink, all of them immediately took off, spreading out in a pattern. Superman was fastest, followed by his two daughters that were barely slower. Ultra Woman and GI Jane were next, followed by the dozen of the Secret Service that had the ability to fly. Thirty seconds later, twenty bombs went off as one... high in the air and no danger to anyone.

The super humans all landed back on the battlefield of the front lawn of the White House. Most of the bulletproof windows on the old building had shattered, showing the violence of the conflict. A couple of quick bursts of super-cold breath and all of the fires were out.

Superman narrowed as he saw the sleeping form of Ursa lying on the ground. "Now we have to figure out what we are going to do with her," he said finally.

"If you'll back away, Superman, we'll handle it," one of the Secret Service men stated. He had just walked out of the White House. "I'd suggest everyone with Kryptonian super powers to step away." He pulled out a little, gray box.

Dan Barr led almost all of the super powered heroes a good distance away, close to the shattered gates on Pennsylvania Avenue. Even at that distance, they could feel a small ache as the green glow of kryptonite lit up the sleeping form.

"Who was that, Mr. Barr?" Superman asked.

"That's Robert Smith," Dan replied grimly, giving out the false name. "He's the President's failsafe."

"They aren't going to kill her, are they?" Supergirl asked worriedly.

"Oh, no. Just dose her with enough Kryptonite that she loses her powers for a few days. She'll be transferred to the Slab's Red Zone. It'll be painful daily doses of kryptonite until her powers fade, but that should only be a few days," he replied.

GI Jane pursed her lips and nodded. "It looks like Project Gold will get its first subject too."

"Project Gold?" Ultra Woman asked.

The premiere superhero for the military winced as she realized what she said. She nodded again in reply. "I'm sorry, Ultra Woman, but I've probably said too much."

From beyond the gate about fifty feet away, a man suddenly shouted. "Superman! Superman! Are those your daughters? Inquiring minds want to know! The public deserves to know!"

Superman grimaced a second, then turned towards the crowd at the gate. He put his hands on Ultra Girl's and Supergirl's shoulders, guiding them closer to the gate. Ultra Woman followed closely. "Of course. My daughters decided that my wife and I needed a bit of help when we were out of town."

The crowd suddenly roared with cheers and yells.

-

December 1st, 2017.

_"The propagandist lies of the decadent sycophants of the aliens will not be heard or allowed to sway our glorious cause. China believes this General Zod is nothing more than a ploy to distract the world and gain support for their nefarious purposes; to weaken our nations for the upcoming invasion of Earth by the vile aliens. We condemn the United States for allowing the so-called hero Superman to procreate and dilute humanity with his alien genetics! We will proceed with the acquisition of the Japanese enhancement facilities for the protection of the Earth as soon as Japan's leaders graciously submit to our reasonable requests."_

_"And that was Mr. Chu Wi, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations. Mounting tensions over the Ultra Enhancement Facilities has reached new levels. Sources within parliament have stated that talks with China over the demands to turn over the centers has stalled. The DIET has finished drafting the national referendum for the audacious plan presented by the Emperor to join the United States as full states within their union. A vote could be called as soon as January 3rd. Over to you, Miko."_

A fist smashed the television. "General Nyueng! What is going on here? Just weeks ago, you promised us that Japan would fall to us without firing a single weapon and now this situation is rapidly escalating! Where is the spine of rubber you told us the Americans were made of?" a heavyset man in a simple suit shouted across the large desk at the man in the uniform of the People's Liberation Army, Ground Forces.

General Nyueng shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Intelligence indicates that their president may want to back the Japanese, but their Congress would never be willing to go to war over them. It would require a drastic outlook change to make a difference at this point."

Outside the window, a group of ten Iron Man mecha stomped by in formation. The bright red mecha saluted the window and the general and the dignitary from Beijing.

-

January 4th, 2018. Nerima, Japan.

Soun Tendo and his friend Genma Saotome shook their head. Just yesterday, their country had humbled itself to put aside its own national identity to join the United States of America. Genma idly wondered if the nation would be renamed to fit the fact that it was not just in the Americas any more.

"Well, I'm off," Kasumi said as she walked in the door from the stairs. She was garbed in her white bodysuit. The red trim stood out brilliantly, her helmet held easily in her left hand.

Nodoka stuck her head out from the kitchen. Ami was busy cooking a stir fry behind her. "When will you be back?"

"Probably tomorrow. You should see it on the news before I head back, I think, Auntie," Kasumi said.

"Where are Ranma and Akane?" the older woman asked worriedly

Kasumi shrugged. "I think they were going into the city for a while." Lying had become second nature. Ranma and Akane would be assisting with Upsy-Daisey.

"Be safe!" Soun said solemnly.

"Oh, I will be. I'll probably do a quick patrol and then be home." Kasumi put her helmet on her head and then lifted off. Soon she disappeared off into the distance with a sonic boom.

-

Rising Sun landed on the supercarrier _Ronald Reagan _just minutes later. She saw a distinctively painted orbital space ship on the deck. The small spaceship was the President's premiere method for visiting other cities and nations. Air Force One sat on the deck with President Lee talking easily with his Secret Service agents. Today, he was tagging along with his bodyguards as they did a very important job. William Waldecker shook his hand, his space helmet thrown back. The Secret Service agents with 'Presidential' enhancements were all here except for the one covering Washington D.C. and congress. Even the four 'military' Ultra Agents were present and accounted for.

She smiled to herself as she saw her sister and her fiancé in the background, looking uncomfortable. Did they realize that they were nearly as famous as the presidential Ultramen?

"Here comes the 'super' family now," Dan said just loud enough for his friend Steven to hear easily. Super eyesight saw the four strongest people in the world flying over the horizon as they shed speed from their suborbital jaunt from Metropolis.

General George Winston III looked up from his conference with Admiral Matthew Stanford. As Superman, Ultra Woman and their daughters landed, he looked around expectantly.

"Mr. President, if we could have you board Air Force One in case of any unpleasantness, we'll get started. GI Jane, if you will please," the general said loudly to the group.

GI Jane handed out a folder to each of the superhuman flyers. Each of them read the briefing at superspeed. "If you'll take your positions on the hull of the _Ronald Reagan_, we'll get started."

Retribution sighed. She bounded over to the control tower and gripped the rail. This should be an exciting ride. All of the jets were stowed carefully, excepting Air Force One. That ship was tied down, but ready to release in case of attack.

Superman led the super powered beings under the aircraft carrier to painted markers on the bottom. Carefully, they pressed their hands and _'felt'_ their auras mingle and merge. Superman could have lifted the _Ronald Reagan_ up into space by himself. Its one hundred kilotons would have weighted him down considerably though. And speed was of the essence, in this matter.

Superman felt his wife to his left, his daughters to the right and in front of him. He had to smile at Redhawk filling in the spot behind him. The weakest of the people with kryptonian super powers that could actually help, she was positioned close enough so that the super powered family could compensate if she were to falter.

A hypersonic whistle from GI Jane was the signal to lift. The mightiest muscles in the planet, backed by dimly understood hyper physical five dimensional auras lifted the _Ronald Reagan_ easily out of the water. Rising to an altitude of one mile in just a minute, they slowly accelerated, pushing their powers more and more.

President Lee sat in his acceleration couch, buckling himself in. "Jerry? How fast are we going?"

His pilot turned back to him. "About MACH 3, sir." He just shook his head. This was only a few hours jaunt from the Mediterranean Sea at these speeds.

And this would only be the first ship delivered this way! Each of the smaller should would be picked up by at least five of the kryptonian powered beings.

-

_"This just in. Sources within the military just confirmed that the United States has just relocated three additional fleets to the Sea of Japan. In an unprecedented move, the President of the United States used his Ultra Secret Service to move the CNV Ronald Reagan in just hours. Already in position to stave off any rapid attacks that could be launched. Only hours later, the rest of its fleet was delivered to it. Our military correspondent for Hong Kong, Lei Won, has more." The older man turned to the middle-aged woman next to him._

_"This move has caught everyone off guard. Several of my sources are telling me this is a very strong signal that the United States is totally behind Japan at this time," she said. She shuffled her cards. "The United States has the strongest navy in the world. With the ability that they just displayed, they can now re-deploy their military assets with a speed that no one else can even hope to match. How the New Warsaw Pact nations will react to this is unknown, but it is unlikely to be taken well."_

_"This, following the annexation of Japan by the United States, can only be seen as a dangerous imperialism rearing its head from across the Pacific." _


End file.
